Shake
by sfellm
Summary: A/U. Edward Cullen returns from sulking around Africa and is bitten by something that changes him even more than he thought possible. He is sent for treatment, but can he deal his new brush with mortality?
1. Chapter 1

I own nothing except my little yorkie pups and sometimes I think they own me.

This takes place as if Twilight had never really happened.

This is the first time I have ever written anything like this. So if it is awful, just tell me!

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Chapter One-You Shake Me In My Tree

March

It's been warmer in Forks lately. But that doesn't really bother me.

When you can't feel the temperature, it doesn't make a difference if it's ten degrees or a hundred and fifteen. Global warming could melt the polar ice caps and drown the city of Forks with them and I still wouldn't shiver.

I stalk my way through the woods, sunlight streaming through gapes in trees.. I am hungry, past hungry. The burning in my throat is becoming worse with each passing second. Carlise has told to me hunt earlier, more frequently, whatever I need. I should heed his advice more often. Being back on his way of living is hard, but not impossible.

I spot the deer ahead. For a brief moment, I hesitate. It seems too close.

I am not far from my house. Maybe a mile or so away. Animals usually don't venture so close to the house. A silent signal among them to stay far far away and continue living.

I shake my head, imagining that it will clear non-existent cobwebs.

I lunge forward and sink my teeth deep into the neck. The deer struggles only for a moment before warmth floods my mouth. I sigh into him, and close my eyes. The hunger is subsiding. I feel a sense of normality wash over me and I want to laugh. Normal. As if drinking the blood of this animal is normal.

The bite to my own neck is sharp and clean and quick.

Unexpected.

My eyes attempt to open, and then flutter shut on their own accord. The pressure of whoever or whatever is biting me is intense. My mind reels. Another vampire? Some sort of animal? Before I have the chance to think further, I feel a warm stickiness down my neck. A dull burning at the site of the bite. Then a sharp, loud snap and my world goes back.

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I awake on the forest floor. My vision is blurry and my movements are drunken. I growl impatiently as I stagger to my feet. It's not often I'm surprised by anyone. My pride has taken a hit and it hurts more than I want to admit. I look around, trying to steady myself. It's not common for me to feel anything other than powerful.

I reach around to wipe at my neck. I need to clean the wound, prevent infection. Have Carlise bandage it if necessary. I scowl at my hand as it comes in front of my face.

It is completely clean.

There is no wound, no blood, no venom, not a trace of the attack.

I stand for a few moments. Did I hallucinate the whole thing? Am I that hungry that I am delirious? My neck is stiff, but otherwise fine. I glance around.

The deer is gone. Not a drop of blood, not a leaf out of place. No sign of an animal attack or my attack.

This is not good.

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Carlise is worried.

He examines my neck carefully.

"Edward, there is no sign that the skin was broken. In fact, the only thing I can see is a very faint pink mark. Almost like a rash."

He swabs it disinfectant before studying me.

"Are you hungry?"

"No." I sigh. I am more weirded out by what happened. "How did I miss whoever attacked me?"

Carlise sighs. "Perhaps you were distracted by your hunger?"

I immediately feel like shit. I should have listened to him. Had a I taken care of myself sooner this might not have happened. I rub at my neck. "Thank you for you looking at it."  He nods. "Let me know immediately if you feel any different at all."  I agree, slipping out of his office.  I don't tell him that I feel tired.  Tired enough to lie down and close my eyes. Drift off into a warm sleep for a few hours.   Pointless, considering I don't sleep. Can't sleep if I tried.   Alice is waiting for me in outside my bedroom. "Edward, what happen...?" Her question trails off as she stares at me intently.   I hear her thoughts before she can vocalize them.   My eyes are not the golden brown that they should be after feeding. They are lighter. Slipping away from brown and into another shade.  One with green undertones.

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My family leaves me alone for exactly one hour.

 I lie on my couch with my palms pushing into my eyes. I should be doing something. Trying to find what bit me. Trying to feel normal again. I feel nothing but a wave of complete and utter uselessness. Bitterness. Thoughts swirl uselessly in my mind.   

The knock the door is polite but non-negotiable.   

Calise and Esme enter, both looking worried.  Esme especially. Her eyes are soft and downcast.   

"Edward." Her voice is a whisper. She sits down next to me, pulling my hands gently from my eyes. "Sweetheart."  

Carlise unnecessarily clears his throat. "Can we talk for a moment?"   

It's not so much a question as it is a command.   I push myself up to a sitting position, and run my hand through my hair- pulling it on end. I slump back against the leather couch.

  "I know what bit you."  He pauses.  " But I don't know how to treat it. And it could be somewhat of a problem."  If my heart could beat or feel or sink in my chest, now would be the time. Instead the empty space amplifiies.

Do I even care? Will it matter if I suddenly keel over and cease to walk this Earth?  "Edward." Esme says softly. Her hands are soothing, gently smoothing my hair back into place.   Carlise looks miserable. "There is someone that can help you. But, it's risky. You have to stay with him. There is no guarantee of a complete recovery. .." he trails off. His mind is reeling. He is not willing to lose a son. He is also not willing to let me die.   "You were bit by something called a mortal vampire. I have limited knowledge of their venom, and I only know that it is toxic to our systems. Their venom contains toxins that don't interact with ours. I don't have any way of helping you if something were to affect your system. And it looks like it might be starting to. "   

Esme grips me tighter. "Please, Edward."  Carlise watches me.  His thoughts are loud, only to me.   (I know who can help you. I would trust him with my own life. I would hate to think of this family without you. )  I nod my head. I owe him so much more than this.   "I'll do it. " 

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I pack few things. Jeans. Shirts. All black converse.   

Ipod. Batteries.   

A few notebooks. Some matches.

A watch that belonged to Carlise.   

A picture of my family.  A cellphone.

Esme suggests I bring a tie.   

Alice hugs me tightly and Emmet punches my shoulder.  

Jasper hugs me, Rose ignores me.  

Esme swallows and crushes me to her chest.    

"We will visit as soon as we can." 

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Whoever has agreed to help me is fucking loaded. They have sent a private jet to pick me up at The Forks Aviation Fields.

It's black. Shiny. Huge. A small gold crest is painted on the tail. Something in German and Italian.   I sink into an oversized leather recliner and a busty blonde asks if I would like a drink.   

My throat burns suddenly. The attendant, Stacy, has brown eyes and sharp white teeth. She hands me a glass with something in it. I narrow my eyes.   It's Sprite.   "It will help your throat." She tells me lightly before heading towards the front of the jet. "Call me if you need anything else."   

I grip the glass in my hands, trying not to shatter it not into a million pieces.

I bring the glass closer to me. It smells sugary, sweet.  I push the glass to my lips and find myself downing the whole thing.  

I swallow greedily. 

 I'm no longer thirsty.    

a/n

Edward is Angsty. Yes. He just got back from Africa.

I made up mortal vampires. Just bear with me, K :)

The song and chapter titles are from a band called Small Leaks Sink Ships. The song is titled "Shake". You can listen on Itunes. It's awesome!


	2. Chapter 2

I almost throw the Sprite back up.

You drink blood, not soda my stomach reminds me. I take a few deep breaths and close my eyes.

It settles. I don't throw up.

The jet flies faster. Stacy does not reappear.

I listen to my Ipod on shuffle. I zone out when it gets to Arcade Fire and day dream about being happy.

We land in Scottsdale, Arizona around 4:30pm. Two men in suits escort me off the jet and into a waiting car. I raise an eyebrow.

The black Bentley is quite possible the nicest car I have ever seen.

The larger man smirks.

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In the car I learn a few things.

The man helping me is named Guy Cucarilla.

He is Italian. He was part of some mafia business years and years ago. He is very powerful, very wealthy. He likes to watch the Sopranos and yell out suggestions.

He is a vampire.

He was bitten in the 1800s, and has built some sort of legacy for himself. He lives a life of pure and utmost luxury. He keeps his family under careful eye. He tolerates very little.

He has also discovered mortal vampires.

He had a god daughter.

Human.

She was 17 when she was bitten by a mortal vampire.

The larger man is driving. The windows on this car are tinted as black as night. I vaugely recall him introducing himself as Caleb. He doesn't say much, other than reminding me to be polite and to not ask too many stupid questions.

I sigh and squint out the window. Caleb's eyes are watching me.

Guy appearantly lives in some sort of castle like house on a mountain. No neighbors. A huge gate with a cursive letter "C" in the middle swings open as we drive through. The car pulls into a valet in front of the house. I feel as though I am in some sort of movie.

Caleb smiles at me.

"We're here."

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The house is beautiful. Huge archways, rich dark woods. Floor to ceiling windows. Thick, expensive rugs. A woman in a black uniform takes my bags, and Caleb ushers me upstairs. We stop on the third floor. The stairs continue up higher. He points out a door to the left.

"This is your room. You are free to explore the rest of the house for now. Guy will inform you if anything is off limits. You have about an hour before you are to meet him."

He looks at me curiously.

"Do you have any questions?"

I shake my head. I feel odd. Drunkenly tired, but awake. I want to see the rest of the house. The strains of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata drift up from down the hallway. "Thank you." I hold out my hand to shake his.

He takes it awkwardly. His hands are warm to mine. His eyes are brown and his teeth are white and sharp.

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I find myself in an indoor atrium. The courtyard is huge. It is close the size of my home back in Forks. Thick green plants wind and twist their way up walls. I follow a bridge over a pond and I stop to watch the fish swim lazily under me. They are blissfully unaware. The snap aimlessly at nothing, making small "o" shapes with their mouths.

I follow the path, listening to the rush of water coming from further ahead and the admire the garden. Someone has painstakingly landscaped this area into a quiet oasis. I continue towards the sound of rushing water. Of course it would be a waterfalls. Cascading into a large pond. There is a bench a few yards away from it.

There is a girl.

On the bench. She is small.

Her almost black hair falls down her back in waves. She is pale, almost as pale as I am, and very thin. Fragile looking.

As I get closer I can see that her knees are drawn up, and her head rests upon her knees. She doesn't move. She almost doesn't appear to be breathing, except for the occasional sniffle.

I inhale quietly. She is sick. The smell of infection is laced into her blood.

She sniffled again and hugs her knees tightly. She is wearing some sort of night gown or dress. I feel almost indecent staring. It has soft ruffles along the low collar and the shoulders, and along the bottom. The hem hits right below her knees.

She looks up at me when I step closer to her.

Her eyes are blue.

The bluest I have seen. Deep, dark, bottomless blue.

They are slightly red though, and her nose is rimmed with red.

Her chest is full of congestion.

Pneumonia.

She has pneumonia.

She watches me with her large eyes and I don't break her stare.

I can't turn away from her.

My guess is she is 13. Maybe 15. Her body is small and her head seems too big for it. She unfolds herself slightly.

"Hello."

Her voice is soft.

I step closer and inhale.

She is not human.

Well, she is partly human. She has blood running through her veins. Her heart beats.

Her blood smells different though. Sweeter. But at the same time, bitter.

I sit next to her, slowly. I don't want to startle her.

"I'm not afraid of you, you know."  She is brave now. Eyeing me carefully. As though she could take me if the need be.  She reaches out one small, pale hand.   I take it, careful not to crush the bones in her fingers.   "I'm Edward."  "I know."  I look at her.  "I'm Bella."  She is facing me now. "I know what happened to you."  I stare back at her, my jaw tightening. I have no idea what is going on.   "I can help you." She says softer than before.   She reaches towards me again, and I am frozen.  Her tiny fingers softly graze my neck, the spot where I was bitten beginning to burn.  She has no idea how good this feels. How soft her fingers are, how warm, how sweet.   "He will help you." She says, the pads of her fingers skimming over the spot again.   "Who?" I ask. My voice is tight. I am transfixed. My throat is burning again, but not. It is traveling lower. I have the insane desire of something but I can't quite place it.   She smiles at me before she answers. Her teeth are not sharp. They are human teeth.  She curls are fingers back around her knees.   "My Godfather."  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Caleb appears out of nowhere, all too soon.

"He's ready to see you."

Bella is watching me.

Her blue eyes are sad.

I swallow, hard. "It was nice to meet you. "

I fumble with my words. I am usually much more smooth than this.

I am not ready for this to be over. This interaction. I glance at her.

She smiles again.

She looks 18 now. Her toenails are painted red.

"Don't be afraid. He can't wait to meet you."

Caleb is watching this interaction with a mix of fury and very human curiosity.

His mind is easy to access. I learn quickly that he is her bodyguard. Her life is his business.

He is not sure what to think about me.

He hopes Guy doesn't like me.

Nice.

"Go on. He doesn't bite."

She laughs lightly at her own joke.

"Neither does Caleb." she adds, pointedly.

He scowls.

I stand, my eyes never leaving Bella.

"Thank you."  For the few brief moments, I felt something other than absolute loneliness. A spark of hope.  Without warning, a sharp pain arcs across my chest. She is watching me, bitting her lip. She nods. Her eyes are worried.   I follow Caleb back up the path.  His jaw is tense.   "Stay away from her." he grunts.   I ignore him. When we reach the house I glance over my shoulder.   She is gone.  My chest aches again, but in a way I don't remember ever feeling.


	3. Chapter 3

1)Bella's a little more girlie. Sorry

2) Sorry for any typos. I'm tired.

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Chapter 3- Shake Me Shake Me Till I Believe

Guy looks straight out of a mafia movie.

He is probably in his late 60's.

He has longer slicked back white hair. His black suit is crisp, sharp. He is tall and he stands with authority.

"Thank you, Caleb."

His words are dismissive and I can feel the flash of anger from Caleb. The door slams shut.

Guy sits down behind his massive mahagony desk.

He pulls out of a manilla doctors file. He skims the a few pages and flips it shut.

"How do you feel?" His eyes are bright blue. They focus directly at me.

For a moment, I contemplate lying.

Telling him I feel fine. Ignoring the random new symptoms, the flashes of pain, and fleeing home. Well, maybe not home. Maybe going to another continent. Carlise flashes through my mind.

"I feel odd. I have symptoms that I should not be feeling." I try to state my words calmly, and I can feel the information bubbling up without warning. His is making notes on a pad.

"I drank Sprite on the plane." I blurt out.

"I feel tired. I don't want to drink blood. I'm hungry but not. Things feel weird. I'm disoriented. I feel slow."

The words come out before I can stop them.

"My eyes are changing color." His head snaps up at that. "They were brown after I fed on the deer. Or they should have been. But my sister Alice, she noticed they weren't entirely brown. That they are turning green."  "Lisa!" He calls out. "Lisa!"   He stands, and walks to me. He looks directly into my eyes. For a moment, he is perfectly still. I can not access his mind.   "We may be too late." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Lisa escorts me to my bedroom. She is pretty. Tall, curly brown hair. Brown eyes.  She doesn't smile while she takes me blood pressure and vitals. I sit on the oversized bed and wonder why I need one. I have no plans on sleeping anytime soon.   She scribbles some things down on my chart before looking at me.   "Your vitals are showing signs of your system accepting the venom and not fighting it." Her words are sharp and precise.  "This is good and bad."  I cock my head to the side. I pray to the god that Carlise believes in, and hope that this will make things easier on all of us.   She starts again.   "Your body is accepting the venom and changing the structure of your system. You will adept fairly quickly, but approximate time is up to a six month period for total transformation. You will notice certain changes first, more drastic changes later on. " She pauses and stares at me.   It takes a minute before I fully comprehend what she is saying.   "You mean, I'm going to be a mortal vampire?" I try to keep my voice neutral. Inside I am shaking. My mind is screaming NoNoNoNoNo.  "Yes."   My family. My family. My family. I will no longer be like them.   "Your system will repair itself to a more mortal state. You will start to feel hungry. A sick empty feeling in your stomach instead of a burning in the throat. You will produce venom only when you are about to attack, or in critical levels of celluar shut down. Your body will rely more on human nourishment than the vampiric kind. You will sleep. Your body will need to decompress by shutting down at night. Your hair will grow. Your nails will grow. Other systems will be renewed. Reproductive, and Excretory. You will still have vampire attributes. Your speed and strength will remain unchanged. "  She is watching me. Ready for me to either break down or jump for joy.   My mind is numb.   "Most importantly, and when this happen this is the final stage of transformation, and you must let us know immediately if anything starts to occur- your heart will start to beat again. "   I can't think. I close my eyes.  (Poor thing. He should be grateful that his system is accepting this at all.)  My eyes snap open.   "You will be fine."   I nod. She stand to exit the room.   My heart will beat again.  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  I spend the next week sulking and refusing to believe I will be any different.   I don't sleep and I don't eat the food provided. Each morning, noon, and evening a meal is delievered at the end of my bed. Guy must hire chefs based on artistic direction. The food is creatively arranged as if to trick one into eating it. I can smell it. I catch my mouth watering at the scent of pancakes, but I swallow -salivia- and ignore it.   I tell myself that this is a horrible dream. I have some how fallen asleep and when I wake up again, Emmett and I will go hunt zebra or mountain lions or a fucking alligator. I will be fine.   I push the food to the end of the bed. I spend the nights prowling the castle or reading in the library. Staff is everywhere, for every whim. People murmmer, asking if I need anything.  I obsessively check the mirrors daily, looking for signs of hair growth. It might be getting longer but I can't tell.    I text Carlise.   -They tell me I'm going to change. I don't think I am. I feel fine. Doing well. Am not hungry either way.-  His reply tells me that they have told him otherwise.  -I would just got with it, Edward. We are all pulling for you.-  By the end of the week, the front of my hair reaches my eyebrows.  I never bothered to check it before and I tell myself it hasn't grown at all. I am being paranoid.   I see Bella a few times early in the week.  Every time I pass her, my chest tightens uncomfortably. She watches me, carefully.   The third night I find her bedroom. One floor higher, directly above mine.  They may be trying to convince me that I am becoming human like, but I can still jump high enough to reach her balcony. The french doors are easy to open. I wonder if Guy knows this. I doubt he would appreciate anyone crawling through her balcony.   She is asleep. Her pneumonia is almost gone. She smells almost too sweet now. Her warm blood rushes through her veins with just the tiniest hint of illness now.   She is sprawled out on her bed, her fingers curling.  I feel brave, or at least know I am fast enough to get out of there if she wakes up, and I slip onto her bed. The bed dips, but she doesn't move.   I lie down next to her, very very still. Her heart thumps out in an unsteady manner. I listen to her breathing, her mumbling in her sleep, wishing I could see what she is dreaming about.  

 "Edward." My name is mumbled and my chest tightens painfully so. I scoot closer to her, and place my head on her chest. She stills in her sleep, and relaxes. 

 I am pushing my luck.

  The fourth night is the same.   The fifth night she wakes up. Her eyes are wide and her she looks stunned. "Edward?" She asks reaching out for me. I'm too quick. I'm already out the door, perched on a tree outside the balcony. She looks confused. She lays back down.   I am saddened to think that she will fall back asleep and in the morning this will be nothing more than a dream.   The sixth night I press my lips to her forehead. Her eyes don't open.   I am out of the room quickly.   I am on my way to the library. I have been feeling crummy. Dizzy, neausous, shaky.  I run my fingers through my hair. The ground shifts below me. The walls slide in opposite directions.   It is black before I can do anything.  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 "Idiot."  The word is mumbled softly.  I open my eyes. It is dark, very very dark. I am lying in my bed, under the covers. Candles flicker on the wall. Bella sits on the middle of my bed, her knees beneath her. Another frilly nightgown, this one a light blue.  She has my hand, her fingers lightly testing my own.

  She looks up at me.  "Did you really think you could go a week without eating?"

  I swallow, and my throat feels as dry as sand paper. I am exhausted.  I notice someone has put pajama pants on me. No shirt.   She motions to the nurse and a drink is produced.

 I narrow my eyes at the amber liquid.   Bella watches. "If you don't drink it, they are going to put the IV in your arm. And that's not fun at all." She tugs on my fingers, her small cool ones soothing on my hot skin.

  The drink is sweet and fizzy and I sip and it slowly. I want to gulp it down, but something tells me better. I don't know what the liquid is. I look at her quizzickly.

  "It's Ginger Ale. It will help your stomach."

  A nurse produces a plate with toast and some fruit. "Eat." She barks. Her name tag reads Cameron. "Or I call Guy and he makes you eat it." I grudgingly eat a few bites and discover my stomach growl with impatience. The toast is good. I feel weird eating human food. I finish it and a flicker of guilt flashes through me. I think of my family, hunting. I close my eyes. I feel the bed shift.

  "I think that's enough." Bella says softly. She smoothes my hair out of my eyes. I don't want her to leave. I don't even have the energy to think. The nurse rises and takes the tray.   There is a soft knock and my eyes fly open. Guy appears.   "Do you believe me now?" He is smiling. He sits on the bed. He glances at Bella. She still sitting next to me. Her fingers scraping through my hair, trailing my scalp.

  " I found him in the library." She says. "Passed out in the middle of the floor." 

 She strokes my hair and I try to focus.  I haven't been touched this way in a long time. Perhaps forever.

  "You need to eat. Stay hydrated. Sleep. It will be easier my child." His words are warm and soothing. "Just, let us try it this way. If you don't feel better, I will let you continue your own course of action." He turns to Bella. "Keep an eye on him. Let me know if he gives you any trouble." I think he winks at her, but I feel too exhausted to notice.

  She nods and continues tangling her fingers in my hair. "Goodnight, Guy." He leans over and kisses her cheek.  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Bella blows out a couple of the candles.  The room is cool and airy and vaugely gothic looking with the flickering shadows.   She sits back on the bed next to me.  Her dark hair smells wonderful. Like stargazers and rain and deep warm sleep.  I reach out for her, blindly. My eyes are having a hard time adjusting to the dark. I am not used to this.

  "Close your eyes." she whispers.

  Her lips are cool against my forehead.

  I panick.  For a moment.   She smiles in the dark. I can feel it.  "I can't stay away from you." She whispers.    She curls up next to me, scooting closer and closer until her head is in the crook of my neck.  My body reacts before my mind can tell me to push her away. To tell her Caleb will kill me and inform her than I'm not tired.   I pull her close, as close as I can and wrap myself around her. Her heart hums in her chest. It taps out an unsteady rhythm, and I will later learn that it will never beat correctly. As will mine.   She nuzzles my neck, her warm breath against my skin.  "Sleep, Edward."     The black darkness is pulling at me. I feel it seep over me, and my final concious realization is Bella shifting besides me.  "Tomorrow, " she whisper into my neck, "we are shaving your scruffy beard off after breakfast."


End file.
